Application Information – Dame Alice Owen's School

Please refer to our comprehensive FAQs before contacting the school with any queries. This will enable our Admissions Office to deal with priority calls – thank you.

For a list of relevant dates, including the next opportunity to visit the school please visit our Key Dates page.

Dame Alice Owen’s School is a secondary day school for boys and girls aged 11-18. Originally founded in 1613, we are Voluntary Aided in status and admit children across the ability range. 65 children per year out of the available 200 places, however, are selected according to aptitude and ability as determined by the Governors’ Entrance Examination and an additional 10 places are selected by Music Aptitude tests.

Applications are welcome from parents whose children are likely to make a full and committed contribution to the extra-curricular life of the school, and to benefit from the extensive additional facilities and opportunities provided by the Dame Alice Owen Foundation. Our Governors are legally responsible for admissions to the school, and offers of places are approved by our Governors’ Admissions Committee. Governors are fully committed to maintaining our family focus with the sibling criterion, whilst retaining partial selection and musical aptitude.

SECONDARY TRANSFER ADMISSIONS 2024

Online Test Registration – Registration closed on 9th June 2023. We are unable to accept any Test Registration requests after this date.

All our selective tests have now taken place. Results will be emailed no later than 23rd October 2023.

Please see our Key Dates page for an up to date timeline of dates.

Our Verbal Reasoning paper is produced by GL Assessment and our English and Maths tests are set in house. Familiarisation papers for the Verbal Reasoning, English and Maths can be found here.

Making an application to the school Secondary Transfer 2024

If you are interested in applying for a school place (this includes Siblings, Looked After Children, Locality, Exam, Music, Staff), you should:-

Read our Admissions Arrangements for Secondary Transfer 2024. This will give you the opportunity to familiarise yourself with our admissions rules.
Between 1st September – 31st October 2023 include Dame Alice Owen’s School as one of your preferences when you submit your Common Application Form (CAF) to your home Local Authority. NB This is the ONLY form you need to complete to make an application. There are NO additional forms required by the School.
If you are applying under Criteria 1 – Looked After/Previously Looked After children please email documentation to confirm your child’s Looked After status.

SECONDARY TRANSFER ADMISSIONS 2023

Hertfordshire County Council hold a continued interest/waiting list for the school. Details of how to join that list can be found here

You will be contacted if we are in a position to offer your child a place.

Familiarisation papers for the Verbal Reasoning, English and Maths tests can be found here.

SECONDARY TRANSFER APPLICATION INFORMATION

The information below is intended to give you further information about the School and the Admissions process.

Admission Arrangements	Key Dates	Familiarisation Papers
Results	Entrance Exam Information	EHCP Applications
Access Arrangements	Music Test Information

MAP – ALLOCATION OF LOCAL PLACES CRITERIA 2/7

22 places are allocated every year (under criterion 2) to applicants living closest to the School. The map below shows the furthest distance allocated to over the past 3 years. Sometimes we are able to offer further distance places under criterion 7. The student audit reports below show how many places have been allocated under distance year on year.

Map indicating allocation of local places - 2021/2022/2023
Updated June 2023

It is recommended that parents who live in close proximity to the School, read the Verification of “Permanent Home Addresses” document on the Admissions Overview page.

ALLOCATION OF ALL PLACES

Reports show how places were allocated on 1st March each year according to our Admissions criterion.